Senator Murray Applauds Nomination of Judge Mary Katherine Dimke for U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Washington

Washington, D.C. – Today, U.S. Senator Patty Murray (D-WA) commended President Joe Biden for his nomination of Judge Mary Katherine Dimke, a U.S. Magistrate Judge for the Eastern District of Washington, to serve as a U.S. District Court Judge for the Eastern District of Washington. Senator Murray submitted Judge Dimke’s name for consideration to the White House earlier this year. Murray’s process for recommending candidates for the federal bench has been lauded as a national model for Senators to replicate—for its emphasis on diversity of professional experience and background.

“Judge Dimke is well known in the community and has a long history of serving as a federal magistrate judge with fairness and distinction here in Eastern Washington – I am certain she will bring that same record of accomplishment to the federal courthouse in Spokane,” said Senator Patty Murray. “It’s good to know that judicial reinforcements are on the way to ensure our federal courts can keep working for the people of Eastern Washington – I’m confident my colleagues will move quickly to advance Judge Dimke for confirmation by the full Senate.”

Born in Clarkston, Washington, Judge Mary Katherine (“Kit”) Dimke has served as a U.S. Magistrate Judge for the Eastern District of Washington since 2016. Prior to becoming a judge, she was an Assistant U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of Washington from 2012 to 2016 and for the Western District of Washington from 2008 to 2012. Judge Dimke joined the U.S. Department of Justice through its Honors Program in 2004 where she served as an attorney in the Fraud Section of the Criminal Division in Washington, D.C. until 2007. Judge Dimke served as a law clerk for Judge Richard C. Tallman on the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit in Seattle, Washington from 2003 to 2004. She also served as a law clerk for Judge Alan B. Johnson on the U.S. District Court for the District of Wyoming in Cheyenne from 2002 to 2003.

Judge Dimke, a first-generation college graduate, received her J.D. from Vanderbilt University Law School in 2002 as a member of the Order of the Coif and her B.A., magna cum laude, from Pepperdine University in 1999. Her community service work has focused on students. As a current member of the Tri-Cities Youth & Justice Forum Planning Committee, sponsored by the Washington State Minority and Justice Committee, she has worked to encourage middle and high school students from communities that are traditionally underrepresented in the justice system professions to pursue careers in law and other areas.